


REMEMBER WHEN YOU USED TO BE A RASCAL

by northmans



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, Invisibility Cloak (Harry Potter), Marauders' Era, Pranks and Practical Jokes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-05
Updated: 2018-11-05
Packaged: 2019-08-19 06:26:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16529177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/northmans/pseuds/northmans
Summary: Zonko's Joke Shop might call them dungbombs, but as Sirius Black watches on while a thick, putrid-green gas cloud unfurls like tendrils throughout the Entrance Hall, he can only think to call them surprisingly effective.





	REMEMBER WHEN YOU USED TO BE A RASCAL

Zonko's Joke Shop might call them dungbombs, but as Sirius Black watches on while a thick, putrid-green gas cloud unfurls like tendrils throughout the Entrance Hall, he can only think to call them surprisingly effective.

However, to nobody else's surprise, Argus Filch shows up seconds later with broom in hand, yelling bloody murder as to his revenge upon whoever bloody gave him even more bloody work to do.

Thank Merlin for the invisibility cloak.

“I don't think I'll ever not find that funny," Sirius whispers to Remus, who stands underneath the cloak beside him with pursed lips as if he were fighting off a smile of his very own.

“It is quite comedic," Remus replies quietly, agreeing.

“I think it's the broom that really does it," Peter chimes in softly, standing on Sirius' other side. “Adds that extra...," he trails off, unable to find a word to complete his train of thought.

“Level of hilarity?" Sirius supplies helpfully, half laughing.

A horde of students with hands pressed tightly to their noses rush by the three boys, who stand by the door cloaked by their invisibility, the sounds of gagging following their departure as they eagerly rush away from the ungodly smell of rotting manure.

“Yeah," Sirius says as Argus Filch picks up the exploded casing of the dungbomb and glares at it with such contempt it looks as though he may burst into tears.

“Never not gonna be funny."

–

James can only laugh at how excellent Argus Filch must think he is, for the four detention files that are spread out across the caretaker's desk have been charmed with so many different kinds of anti-duplicating and anti-editing spells that the whole situation is, simply put, ridiculous.

Okay, so it might be a yearly tradition where the Marauders attempt to steal and make copies of their detention files (purely for scientific reasons, of course), but the continued desperate attempts by the caretaker to thwart their efforts make all the planning and struggle worth it. And besides, it's almost like the grumpy old man has forgotten the age-old art of handwriting.

Chuckling, James pulls out a spare bit of parchment from his pocket and dips one of Filch's quills in ink, and begins copying the detention details from each file, starting with his own.

–

“Reckon that's enough time?" Remus asks Sirius, the latter peeling his eyes away from the distraught caretaker to look his friend in the eye.

He considers this for a moment, briefly looking back toward Filch, who has gotten down onto his knees and starting to bang his broom loudly against the ground amidst his banshee-like wailing.

“Nah."

They watch on as a blubbering, howling Filch curses the day Zonko's Joke Shop was ever opened.


End file.
